The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-01-11
TUESDAY
CHINESE IMMIGRATION.

Examples are not wanting OF the eff
fects upon society, both immediate and
more especially in after>years, of large
influx into country of a criminal ele-
ment The colonies of the Australian
continent had their origin in the deporta-
ton of Engl3nd's moral refuse, and
though nearly a century has elapsed
since the days when this began, and
the practice has for many decades passed
into disuse, the old convict spirit has not
vet died out, but is still strongly marked
in not few localities. Acting upon this
experience, there is unanimous aver
sion among the respectable classes in
Australia to the deportation of French
criminals to the southern seas, because
proportion of these are bound to find
their way to the Colonies and perpetuate
more or less the evil the infection OF
which the mother country has aban-
doned
There are some in this country who
are anxious that the veto which has been
placed upon Chinese immigration should
pc removed, and their views occasion
ally find expression in the press. 1t is
veil therefore to consider in a broader
hammer than is sometimes done what
MS really means. 1t is urged that plan
tation Iaborers will soon be wanted, and
nat the Chinese are the best and cheap
st obtainable; that the sugar industry
above all others the mainstay of our
c0mmerce and as such is OF primary inn
portance All this may be admitted, but
the moral and social points of view
should also be considered and have
deeper significance probably than is gen
erslly realized. The fact must not be
i0st sight of that the emigrating Chinese
are for the most part drawn from the
lower grades of society and do not
fairly represent their nation as a whole,
anv more than do the conyicts of Eng
land or the recidivists of France. That
they will largely assist in maintaining
tine prosperity of the sugar industry in
the present and i'll the immediate future
csnlot be denied. Similarly, the New
south Wales convicts performed work
in The construction of roads, thereby
opening up that colony's resources,
which otherwise would not have been
accomplished until many years later.
but this did not mitigate their vitiating
influence upon the incipient community.
There are, however, considerations other |
than these, which recent writer upon
Chinese labor immigration has left I'M |
noticed. The Chinese are an initiative |
people; that is one of their most promi- I
nent characteristics. In their own cOun
try they have become imbued with |
many of the ideas of the foreign nations /
which have forced themselves upon |
them, and are fast learning to dispense
with the assistance of the invaders in
various departments of employment
where a few years ago this was abso-
Iutely necessary. In countries of their
adoption they evince similar aptitude
in whatever they attempt, attaining as
good if not better results than their
original instructors, whom they in
variably undersell. In this connection
it must be borne in mind that such as i'm
migrate into these Islands in the ca
pacity OF plantation laborers will not
always remain in that condition. Their
contracts expire, and they learn other
employments. That market gardening
is popular one among them is benefit
to all parties, because it would other
wise be neglected; but they will not
stop at this. They are fast entering
into competition with the other races in
al branches of commerce, and whatever
industrial pursuits are introduced in the
future they will to a great extent mo-
nopolize. In the British colony Of
these people have gained an
ascendency even in the higher walks OF
commerce and in the shipping interests,
which render them an influential class,
md there is no reason to doubt that If
to locate in this Kingdom {
he outcome will be similar. Their ex-
RENE frugality gives them an advantage !
ver others in whatever they attempt. /
supremacy must necessarily /
Ne accompanied by moral and social in v
iuence, and theirs is universally recog- p